Heart of Hinata, Hear me Roar!
by Coffee Blackplease
Summary: His feelings for her develop slowly, but once they do, they are undeniable. He reminisces on the growth of his love while trying to make some actual progress in their 'not-even-friends' relationship.
1. Her

**Heart of Hinata, Hear Me Roar!**

**Author's Note: **I've decided to try my hand at a SasuHina fic, this was at first intended to be a one-shot, but then I thought, what a waste! I love it so much and I could definitely write more…

So anyway! Here's chapter 1!

**Chapter 1: Her**

The teenage boy walked through the dark blue double doors and into the bustling hallway. "Sasuke-kun!" a faceless girl screamed.

"Saaasssuukeeee~!" squealed another.

The boy continued to make his way through the halls sparing neither one of them, nor the other females and occasional males that stopped to openly ogle him, a sideward's glance.

It's not like _she_ was the one calling out to him.

He didn't bother to stop by his locker, it would be surrounded by hoards of fans by now. He always tried to carry everything with him and only used the locker in the boys changing room for his kendo equipment.

Walking to his first period class he sat in his usual seat in the back and waited for class to start.

He didn't converse with anybody while he waited, he didn't want to, and besides, Uchiha aren't exactly the most approachable people on earth, especially Sasuke. Only his most daring fan-girls bother to openly approach him, especially in class.

He didn't have many friends either, despite the fact that he was incredibly popular. Most of his friends he knew through sports or through his annoying, knuckle-headed, and self-proclaimed best friend, Uzumaki Naruto.

He didn't really like the loud mouth at first, but he's become bearable. Sasuke still refuses to admit that he actually enjoys the blonde idiot's company now.

The late-bell rang and in rushed said blonde, "Top of the morning to ya, Teme!" well, he enjoys it most of the time.

Most of the Uchiha's classes went by in a blur, he wasn't called a genius for nothing, it didn't take much for him to comprehend what was being taught, he always self-taught himself ahead of the lesson plan anyway.

As sixth period rolled around he found his legs tingling. Lunch, this is usually when he is able to catch his first glimpse of _her_.

Class was dismissed and he stalked toward the cafeteria, he tried to contain his eagerness, but the usually stoic young-man always found himself feeling rather giddy at the thought of seeing her.

No one could ever tell though, not even his best friend and he was usually quite perceptive when it came to things you _didn't_ want him to know.

Naruto did know about the Uchiha's crush though. So even if he couldn't see any outward signs of the boys excitement, he always pretended to, just to get under his skin, after all what are friends for?

"Relax, teme," he teased, "I'm sure your lovely Hinata-chan will still be there by the time we make it to our table."

An icy glare was sent his way. _No_ _one_ knew about his feelings for the Hyuuga, except this idiot. Though their friends and lunchmates Kiba and Shikamaru had their suspicions, they kept them secret.

Naruto just chuckled, "Okay, okay, no need to get your panties in a bunch."

When they reached the cafeteria Sasuke's eyes immediately darted over to her usual table. She wasn't there, worry began to settle in.

His face remained a stoic mask as he sat down at his usual spot at the table. His seat gave him a clear view of Hinata's table and her usual seat. Her two friends were seated in their usual places, the brunette girl Tenten, whose name he only remembered because she was Hinata's best friend, and the four-eyed boy Shino, whom he hated for his relationship with the gorgeous girl.

He kept sneaking glances at her table, trying not to be obvious. The three boys at the table didn't think this strange since he normally stared unwaveringly in her direction for the entirety of the lunch period.

_What if she was absent today? _His heart plummeted at the thought. But the Hyuuga girl had never been one to miss school. Still, when five minutes passed and she hadn't showed, he grew extremely irritated.

What a pointless day this turned out to be. Though his facial features didn't change, his eyes grew slightly duller and an ominous dark aura fell over the table.

None of the boys said anything, knowing how seriously the Uchiha would take a joke in this situation.

He glanced down at his lunch and, menacingly, shoveled some rice into his mouth.

Suddenly he saw some movement from her table, his head shot up. There she was, his heart started racing and that uncomfortable feeling disappeared as warmth permeated through his body starting from his belly.

It was getting warmer out and she had an off the shoulder top on, revealing some incredibly enticing soft pale skin.

Onyx eyes lingered on the exposed flesh before shifting to see her beautiful face for the first time that day. This was always when his day truly started, when he caught his first glimpse of her. He continued to gaze longingly not caring that the others took notice. The tables atmosphere noticeably relaxed as the previous nervous tension dissipated. The conversation around him started up again. Lunch would go a lot more smoothly now that they didn't have to worry about tip-toeing around the temperamental Uchiha.

Her mere presence managed to relax even his facial features, most people thought he just wasn't a morning person, and so it was logical that his scowl would gradually clear up as the day progressed. In truth, it was just his mood improving as he got closer and closer to seeing his favorite part of the day.

She pulled a tin from behind her back and held it out in the air, a mock gasp escaping her lips. _Adorable… _Her friends looked up and seemed happily surprised.

She sat down and lifted the lid, revealing what looked to be home-made cupcakes. From what he could tell she customized them, with artsy frosting pictures.

He saw her hand one to Tenten and then one to… _Shino_. He scowled.

From what he could tell, the boy never showed any romantic interest in Hinata, but that didn't mean he had to like how friendly she was with him. She should be baking Sasuke cupcakes! _You don't even eat sweets, moron_. That was true, but he would eat anything she made for him, hell if only he could eat her…

A light dusting of pink sprouted on his cheek but he quickly fought it off.

He squirmed at the thought, this wasn't the time nor place, he reminded himself.

As Sasuke continued to watch the most beautiful girl in the world have her lunch, he thought back to when he had first seen the girl…

Two years ago, at the start of high school, Sasuke hadn't really known her. It was a big school and he never bothered to people watch, his fans tended to get the wrong idea if he even so much as _glanced_ their way.

He couldn't fathom how he could have ever deemed her plain. When she was transferred into his advanced math class freshman year, he found her… odd. To be honest he didn't have much of an opinion of her until she was seated next to him.

Considering how shy she was, he expected her to blush and stutter like an idiot trying to strike up conversation with him. He never failed to attract the weird quiet ones.

To his surprise though… she never even spared him a glance. Months passed and… nothing.

In all honesty he was relieved, he didn't need anymore fan-girls, and the quiet ones tended to be the most obsessive.

He had always been a rather observant person when he wanted to be and without noticing it, he had started to watch her in her seat. Taking note of all her little mannerisms.

It turned out that since her schedule was changed they had almost every class together. This gave him several opportunities to observe.

For some unknown reason he began compiling a list in his mind entitled 'Hinata's Attributes'.

By the end of the third month he had quite a hefty list:

1) Hinata was humble. He always scored highest in the class but she never failed to score close behind. Even so, she never bragged, in fact she seemed to want to hide her paper every time it was returned and managed to slip it into her book bag as soon as possible.

2) Hinata was gracious. If someone was having trouble but was obviously having a hard time admitting it, she would ever so subtly nudge them in the right direction, making them think they helped themselves when in fact she deserved the credit. She never seemed to mind though.

3) Hinata had a soft, sweet voice. She didn't talk much but when she did, it was as if anything she said could soothe him.

4) Hinata was kind. There was a new kid after about the first month, he was the embodiment of all things dorky and became the universal target for ridicule. Hinata never joined in this however, she never even laughed at the jokes that, even he had to admit, were in some cases hilarious. When it came time to pick partners for an English project, the boy sat at the back while everyone made a big show of avoiding getting too close to him for 'fear' of ending up his partner. It was a big joke. Hinata stood up, walked straight over, and sat beside him. The whole class went silent and stared. She didn't seem to care… she _smiled_ at the boy and asked if he would like to be her partner… Well he couldn't actually hear her but he assumed so.

Normally, he would see this as an attempt to get others to have a higher opinion of the 'do-gooder'. But with Hinata, he knew that wasn't the case, not at all.

5) When Hinata smiled… she was absolutely _beautiful_. Sasuke had never thought of a girl as 'beautiful' before. Sure he had found women attractive, but adjectives like sexy and busty were usually what came to mind, not… 'beautiful'. His mother was the only one he ever called beautiful. But when he saw her smile his heart skipped a beat. He found himself wishing she would smile at him like that.

His opinion of her started changing…

6) Hinata had quite the figure. She usually wore overly baggy jackets and hoodies with less than form-fitting jeans. One day however, they had a surprise fitness test and were forced to swim laps. It was school code to wear the school bathing suit while in the pool. He found his eyes unconsciously wandering to eye the girls locker room exit, curious about a certain Hyuuga. When she stepped out, he had to stop his eyes from bulging out of their sockets.

The one piece clung to her… voluptuous body. She had bouncy c-cup breasts, a thin waist, and wide hips. Her butt was cute and round. Her thighs looked soft to the touch and they weren't too thin, they were just right.

He found himself having to conceal his arousal when she stepped out of the pool, dripping wet…

That was the first night he jacked off to the image of Hyuuga Hinata, and ever since thoughts of her were all he needed to satisfy himself.

7) Hinata's hair was just as soft as her voice. She bumped into him one time while trying to rush to class. He may have been a little too eager to touch her, but he managed to steady her and, reluctantly, let her go. Her waist length hair had come in contact with his fingers and it was cool and silky to the touch…

He could go on, but it could take all day, he was simply so enamored by her. By the middle of freshman year he was sure of his feelings for her.

He was unable to control his desire to see her, to be near her, to have _her_ be the one looking at him with longing eyes. Why did she have to be the only girl that seemed to _not_ want him.

He was always ever so sneakily scooting his desk closer to hers, and inclining his body towards her, practically on the edge of his seat, trying to be close to her. He happily breathed in her scent, lilacs and clouds, like on a beautiful beach day.

He began his days with thoughts of her and ended them in the same fashion. His heart clenched whenever she was in close proximity, he longed to reach out his hand and touch her. To feel that silky smooth skin, that soft hair, run his thumb over those plump petal lips, to have her look at him with those huge and breathtakingly beautiful lavender eyes.

He spent the remainder of the year on a high; love-drunk if you will.

He never did work up the courage to actually talk to her, but he was too busy admiring her for it to worry him… yet.

Summer vacation was torture, and then;

Sophomore year they didn't have a single class together. Lunch was his only chance to gaze upon her.

And because of his utter _stupidity_ the year before, he couldn't even go up and talk to her, or even sit beside her. They didn't even know each other! He had wasted an entire year of having her with him all day every day and now he couldn't just waltz up to her and expect her to welcome him with open arms.

It was even worse that this was the year she began to gain more confidence in her appearance. Her clothes got snugger and she let her bangs grow out so that she could pin them back and show off more of her stunning facial features.

He couldn't deny the absolute _rage_ he felt when others began to notice these changes. Of course he knew Hinata wasn't a possession or anything of the sort, but a part of him couldn't stop the urge to call her _his_. It was what his heart yearned for and still is.

He was stuck watching from the sidelines as ravenous wolves began to ogle what didn't belong to them. He tried to ignore the fact that she didn't belong to _anyone_, including him.

He spent the entire year in the worst mood of his life.

This was junior year and while he was nowhere near as lucky as he had been freshman year, he did have lunch as well as his last two classes with her.

Three straight periods of Hinata.

It was certainly better than last years hell on earth.

Soon the lunch bell rang and Sasuke was pulled from his thoughts. He stood and began his trek to AP Chemistry, aka the happiest 90 minutes of the day, when he was lab partners with Hyuuga Hinata.

It was mid-October and he managed to get himself on good speaking terms with her, You know, standard greetings and light chemistry-oriented banter. He wasn't going to waste another chance to get to know her. It was just difficult for him to make any real progress. For some reason he couldn't form coherent thoughts when around her, focusing on the actual chemistry helped but… since it didn't actually require much of his thought, it didn't help enough. He knew blushed and stuttered like an idiot around her.

Well… he didn't actually stutter, not often anyway, he was Uchiha Sasuke after all! But he did stumble over his thoughts, which meant he often had to make irregular pauses in his speech. She probably thought he was an idiot!

Thank god most of the people in the class were depressing geeks that wouldn't be able to effectively spread any unwanted rumors, no matter how truthful they might be.

Sure, Sakura and Shikamaru were in the class, but Shikamaru didn't really care and Sakura was dating Lee now so she didn't bother him.

He sat down in his seat and waited for the woman of his heart to enter. When she did he couldn't help the genuine smile that spread across his face.

"Good afternoon Uchiha-san," she greeted, sending him a dazzling smile.

His head spun and it took him way longer to respond than it should have, "…Hello Hinata," _damn it! Why was she the only one he didn't get to act super cool in front of!_ she was the only one whose opinion actually mattered, and he hated that she still called him _Uchiha-san_, he yearned to hear 'Sasuke' slide past those alluring lips.

She took her seat beside him and his heart clenched, he could feel the body heat radiating off of her. He could feel the blood rush up his neck as he tried to force it back down.

His heart was beating a mile a minute now… how was it that one person, one high school girl could have such a profound impact on him?

Talk, that's what he had to do he had to talk to her. But what should he say? Ugh… why couldn't she just like him a little, it would sure make things a lot easier. He needed that extra boost of confidence when it came to her. Being around her and having her act like he wasn't even there unless he initiated conversation made him feel extremely insecure.

Still, he knew that if she did try to talk to him, if she ever tried to flirt, or sprout a declaration of love like one of his many admirers, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide his blush, he _would_ stutter, terribly, and she would find out what a love-sick fool he actually is.

His arms were crossed over his chest as he looked over the lab for the day. He didn't know what to say not to embarrass himself. He didn't know what words could possibly bring them closer. This was why he wasn't making progress, because he always got so nervous and _choked._

The teacher continued to drone on and on about the lab and he tried to focus. If he just concentrated on the chemistry, as in the class, not the attraction between them, or rather the attraction _he_ felt toward _her_, then he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of her.

He was so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed that the teacher had stopped.

"U-Um, Uchiha-san? Maybe we should get started?" she modestly suggested.

He looked over at her. When he saw the way she looked up at him through that fringe of thick long lashes, with those huge innocent eyes, he couldn't help wanting to corrupt her. A slight pink spread across his cheek bones. She was so sweet and her eyes were so pure. How was he supposed to talk to a beautiful girl like that?

Then, he remembered that she had asked him a question, and was probably expecting an answer.

"Right," he said. He wondered if she took any note of how breathless he was, if she could sense the utter adoration in his voice.

They began work on their lab, it was a rather simple exercise in which they had to identify which chemicals they had based on a list given to them and then explain what observations drew them to that conclusion. Finally they were to create and identify a new substance with the chemicals they had already identified.

His eyes wandered over to her, to the slight pink above her cheek bones.

Damn, she was distracting.

She was working so hard, setting up their lab equipment in perfect order. It wasn't a particularly hard task, but it was cute how she put so much effort into it anyway.

The more he thought about all the things he liked about Hinata, the more time he spent with her to find more things he liked, the longer he watched her, just _liking_ those things about her, the greater his feelings got.

He wasn't even sure if he could pass this off as just a crush any longer. He had always known it was more than that, but he had trouble admitting to himself that he, the great Uchiha Sasuke, could have fallen for a girl so thoroughly so quickly.

He might not know everything about Hinata, but he knew enough to know that these feelings were real. He knew enough to know he liked her, really liked her. He knew enough to know that the word 'like' was probably an understatement, he just couldn't get himself to admit to the other 'L word.' At least, not yet.

It was only a matter of time before he couldn't contain himself. He knew that.

There was suddenly no doubt in his mind that one day it would all become too much, and he would blurt out the wrong things to her. Things she never really needed to hear. He would get all flustered and make a fool of himself in his haste to make his feelings known to her.

If this was the inevitable outcome of his overall _bitchiness_, then he needed to man-up.

That was when it hit him. He needed to confess.

…

His mind went blank after that thought.

It was utter insanity! How could she ever return his feelings! She was so- so- so perfect! And he was just so him! He had a mountain of girls hanging on his every whim, except the one he wanted. Something told him almighty God, or Buddha, or Mother Nature, or Mother Karma, or whoever it was that was in charge of these things was not on his side.

He had to make her fall in love with _him_ first! He couldn't just go confessing _his_ love all willy-nilly like that! It was crazy! Complete madness!

She didn't even like him at the moment. She looked at his blonde-haired twit of a friend with a lot more warmth in her eyes than she did him! It would totally backfire!

The lab passed in comfortable silence. Well, it was comfortable aside from Sasuke's abnormally erratic heart, jumbled nerves, and sweaty palms. The beakers came close to sliding right through his hands. He wore a permanent blush the entire time. It seemed like it was always like that with her, and now that he had decided to confess his feelings to her it was that much worse.

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That night Sasuke lie awake in bed. He shifted to the side as an image hit him, huge pale lavender eyes looking up at him, irresistibly plump and smooth crimson-pink lips slightly parted. His body heated and his eyes glazed over. He couldn't help the barrage of inappropriate images that suddenly assaulted him…

He stood and made his way to his bathroom. He didn't think a cold shower was necessary at the moment, he had plenty of time on his hands after all. He let steamy hot water fall over him and allowed his desires to take full range.

He seized hold of himself, and let the images flow, today he saw…

Hinata in her school swim suit, the navy blue material a second skin now that it was soaking wet. She began to crawl toward him, her beautiful plump thighs rubbed together as she moved, he imagined himself between them.

"Sasuke," she chimed, her voice sounding so sexy, caressing his name like that.

_Sasuke, _she always called him by his name in his fantsies and it sounded so wonderful, he just wished he could hear the real thing, he was sure his fantasies would pale in comparison.

He was sitting down, suddenly in the buff, and she was there before him. Her small soft hands smoothed over his knees and up his thighs, settling just before they touched him were he wanted to feel her oh so badly.

She leaned her head in, her hot breath teasing him, inviting him into the warmth of her mouth.

Sasuke squeezed himself tighter as his dick twitched upward, as if she were really there, her mouth hovering just above him. His hand on the shower wall pressed in harder and his fingers began to curl scraping against the tile.

He was panting as the illusion continued.

She peaked up at him, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she grinned. Deliberately, she flicked out her tongue and swiped it right across the tip of little Sasuke. He was practically choking on air now, his eyes hazy and unconcentrated.

She giggled, and settled her hot, pink tongue on his shaft, licking upwards. His strokes became erratic now, the image was just too much, his little Hinata… performing fellatio.

As soon as the Hinata of his dreams took him into her mouth, sucking hard, a loud breathless moan could be heard throughout the rather large bathroom and into Sasuke's bedroom.

"Hi-Hina… ta…" he cried. He came as her name past his lips, seeing white. Utter perfection.

As he came down from his high, he sighed, and began cleaning himself, and the shower wall, up.

When he was finished with his shower he lied down in bed, feeling pretty guilty with himself. He always felt so dirty after using Hinata as something to jack-off too. Of course he was sexually attracted to her… and who really could blame him?

She was just too much…

Regardless, it left him feeling dirty, like he had somehow betrayed her trust, not that she really had any in him, since he _still_ hadn't managed to reach at least the friendship stage, they were only _friendly_.

He especially felt bad when he envisioned her doing those things to him. Mostly because he didn't know how she felt about them herself. If he could ever have Hyuuga Hinata she would call all the shots, he would never want to make her feel uncomfortable, he swore it.

Unfortunately, that vow was still utterly useless as the chances of _any_thing _ever_ happening between him, and the beauty that was Hyuuga Hinata were still slim to none.

He sighed again and rolled over onto his side… ah well, as long as she wasn't taken by anybody else, and he was free to dream, then that would be enough… for now.

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The next day at school Naruto was actually… on time. Early even.

Weird.

"Hey, Teme!" he called, making his way through the crowd to where Sasuke stood waiting for him.

Kiba strolled over to wait with him, eyeing the blonde questioningly, "What gives?" he asked. The Uchiha grunted, hell if he knew.

"Good morning, Sasuke" he said, with a stupid grin and a fox-like gleam in his eyes. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at his friends strange mood but didn't think much of it, this was Naruto after all.

"Kiba, come on!" linking arms with the other male, "We've got things to discuss," he said as he led him away calling over his shoulders, "We'll see you later Teme!… So do you know where Shikamaru is? We've got lots to talk about!"

Sasuke could still hear the loud blond even though he was more than ten feet away now and still moving. "Moron," he huffed under his breath and turned to make it to his first period class.

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It's totally cliché and not a show-stopping novel or anything like that, not that I think anything I've ever written is, but still, it was a big step for me. I've never written anything like this before and I felt extremely naughty and not a little like a perv. Tell me if it was entertaining or not.


	2. Them

Author's Note:

So sorry about the wait for an update. I will be on a schedule from now on, since I will be using this fic to promote my new website Alabaster Shinwit. Where I will start off posting a NejiTen fic. Try to keep in mind that I started writing this as a junior in high school, and that's when most of this chapter was written. I am now twenty years old and a slightly different person. That being said, I will try to stick as true to my original plans for this fic as possible. I really, really hope you enjoy, I remember hacing a lot of trouble writing this one, especially the character of Hinata, I realize some characters may be OOC as the story progresses but as I did not create them I cannot help but rely on my own interpretation of them to better fit my story line.

So, anyway, ciao! Read on my lovelies!

Chapter 2: Them

By the time lunch rolled around Sasuke was fiending for his next fix of Hinata. The Dobe had been rather quiet today, and he didn't say anything to Sasuke as they made their way to the cafeteria.

It was… odd, it put Sasuke on edge.

The worst part was that the idiot actually looked like he was _thinking_! Like blonde's like him were actually supposed to do things like that!

Sasuke was busy contemplating his friends strange behavior when he walked into something soft. He heard an "Oof!" and the sound of a bunch of books tumbling to the floor. He looked down at the head of Hyuuga Hinata.

She bent to retrieve her books and he stood there, his brain taking it's time responding to the situation. _Help her with her books, you idiot! _He knew he should, but for some reason his limbs weren't moving and is head was swimming. Suddenly he felt a hard elbow slam into his side and bring him back down to Earth.

He leaned down to retrieve her books but she already had most of them gathered, he only managed to save one.

"I-I'm sorry about that, I couldn't see over the books," she said.

"Uhh… Er, Do you need some help with those?" he asked.

She halted in her movement, she stopped just as she was raising herself up off the floor, settling in an awkward half-crouch. After what seemed like an eternity, but was really about two-tenths of a second, she shook her head and continued moving until she was standing before him.

"There's no need, Uchiha-san, I was just bringing them to the cart right over here," she said, gesturing with her head to a library cart sitting directly behind her.

"Oh…" he could hear Naruto snickering in what his idiotic friend _thought _was a hushed tone behind him. "Well,… are there any more you need to bring out?" he asked.

"No, this is the last of them," she smiled.

There was a silence that seemed to dong in Sasuke's head, _Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was he supposed to say now?_ He was mentally knocking his head against a brick wall. At this Naruto cackled even louder, that asshole! Some friend he was!

"Well, err… I gu-ess I'll see you around then," he said, damn he hoped she didn't hear his voice crack.

He turned and walked away then, Naruto following behind him. "Bye, Hinata-chan!" called the hyperactive blond as he waved to her before turning to face the direction Sasuke was walking. "I-I gu-ess I'll see you around then," he squeaked so only Sasuke could hear, over-exaggerating the hiccup in Sasuke's parting words.

The Uchiha's face flashed a bright red and at the smug grin on his friends face he put more force than was really necessary into a jab at the blond's right shoulder. "Guaaahh!" he winced, clutching his shoulder.

"Prick!" his temperamental friend shot back.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh through his pain at that. The duck-butt was really such a priss sometimes!

His friend's laughter earned him another hit to the shoulder which immediately stopped the giggles. "Aug! Teme!" he growled, "That's gonna bruise!"

Sasuke couldn't help but crack a grin at that, and seeing the blond continue to glare at him and rub his shoulder actually had his lips twitching upwards. _This blond idiot… I hope it does bruise._

"I'm serious, you asshole!" yelled Naruto, "You know I have the skin of a cantaloupe!"

At this the Uchiha really did let out a dry chuckle. _Skin of a cantaloupe my ass!_

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When she looked back at him and saw him laughing so naturally like that, she couldn't help but wonder what it took to be seen as a friend in his eyes. For even if the Uchiha boy thought he was nothing more than a bundle of nerves in front of the Hyuuga, he actually came off much more aloof.

Sasuke was always cool and collected towards almost everyone, the only exceptions where his close-knit group of friends. These were people that the entire school knew about, they were practically famous in the eyes of her peers.

It seemed like everyone was always tailing them around, the girls trying to get one of the good-looking boys to take notice of them or to be accepted into Sakura's circle of friends, and the boys wanting to harvest some female attention for themselves.

Hinata couldn't help but sigh aloud… high school was such a complicated place, full of equally complex and vindictive teenagers, she herself occasionally included.

_Oh well, _it's not like she had any business worrying about such things anyway. She wasn't exactly striving for popularity, it actually seemed quite the hassle. Who wanted to be the subject of hundreds of teenagers weekend conversations? Certainly not her.

Even hearing the rumors spread about others could make her flinch, well the few that surpassed mere high school cruelty did. It stung to hear how some of her peers spoke about others they had never really had a significant conversation with. The real kicker though, was that some of these kids didn't even care what these rumors were saying as long as they were a part of the in-crowd that they were revolving around.

She could feel her stomach twirling in odd directions now, sometimes the bitter truth could be so nauseating.

She put a hand to her clammy forehead and took a deep breath, _Maybe she was coming down with something? _Something told her this wasn't just the stomach churning aspects of teenage life getting to her.

After another deep, slow, and cooling breath she began to push the cart of books forward, these weren't going to deliver themselves to Mrs. Yumichika.

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In the cafeteria Sasuke could still feel the dobe's relentless 'stupid stare' as the Inuzuka dubbed it. He was beginning to get highly annoyed, if the dobe didn't shape up soon Sasuke wasn't going to hold himself accountable for his actions. Really, the blond had been acting weird all day and now he had the other two in on it.

Inuzuka he could understand, he wasn't far behind Naruto in the realm of idiocy, but Nara? He wasn't an idiot by any stretch of the imagination. So why…?

They were all watching him with varying levels of the same expectant stare, like they were waiting for a sign. Naruto looked eager and just about ready to burst, Kiba looked oddly calculating, like he was trying to figure out what the best plan of action as to _not_ set off the Uchiha was, his animal instincts were screaming for self-preservation. Shikamaru looked like the whole thing was _troublesome_, and Sasuke was starting to agree.

The staring didn't stop…

"Naruto." he ground out, this was pissing him off.

Finally his numb-skulled companion decided to start his assault, "That was one smooth number you pulled back there on Hinata, dreamboat."

His eyes flashed red as he spun his head to glare at his friend, he was on the verge of crushing his skull in when the Inuzuka cut in, "Oh come on Sasuke, it's not as if we didn't already know." So much for self-preservation.

Sasuke switched his attention to the dog-boy now, inwardly seething at the truth of his statement.

"You're staring is just about impossible to ignore," Shikamaru sighed.

Sasuke never tried to hide his staring, at least not while at the lunch table, so he supposed it was only natural that they'd come to this conclusion on their own. "What's your point?" he asked bitterly.

"Well, you see Sasuke," started Naruto, "We couldn't help but notice you were having a little bit of trouble there, what with getting her to notice you and all…" the Uchiha shot him another deadly glare at that, "and we couldn't help wanting to offer our assistance."

"What assistance?" he ground out menacingly, his eyes narrowing. The entire debacle had the stench of Naruto's handy-work undulating throughout the table.

Kiba sighed, not only did he think upsetting the Uchiha was an extremely dangerous thing to do, he also found the idea incredibly girly and stupid.

Meddling into the Uchiha's private affairs and love life? What were they? A bunch of Sakura's mindless clones? Or, worse yet, the pinkette herself? But when asked to provide a better solution to their problem he came up blank. And so here they were. Meddling.

"Look, do you have a better idea? We're tired of having our lunch period plagued by your unpredictable Hinata-induced mood swings." he piped up.

And while that may be true, "I _don't_ need any help." his tone was final.

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"I told you this was a bad idea," Shikamaru drawled.

"There's no way that ignorant prig would've taken our advice! The day that happens is the day hell freezes over!" Kiba yelled.

Naruto sighed, "Harumph…" he growled, "I just wanted to give him a heads up, you know help out a friend…."

"Heads up?" Kiba asked.

"Troublesome…"

The Uzumaki's face split into a wide grin, "That's right, we're gonna help our boy Sasuke whether he likes it or not!" _He'll thank us later, _Naruto was sure of it. "But! We'll need some help of our own first!" he yelled, "We're off!" he said turning and marching down the hallway, one fist pumped in the air, and knees coming up and out, almost touching the side of his hip with each enthusiastic step.

Shikamaru could feel a headache coming on, as he leaned his head back and looked toward the ceiling. _Why couldn't he just take a nap…_

Kiba was at a loss for words, "Where are we going?" well… maybe not.

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Sasuke decided he actually didn't mind them knowing of his feelings for Hinata, he wished the whole world could know, that way he'd be free to crush any guy that dared look in her direction without good reason. But he couldn't start up rumors about her being his girl without her permission, and he couldn't even bring himself to tell her…

But there was another reason he had always kept his feelings secret. He knew that if Hinata were to turn him down his feelings for her wouldn't just go away, to be honest he wasn't sure if they ever would, and if she wasn't his girlfriend, if he didn't have the right to be around her all the time, to protect her, then there's no telling what those crazed fan-girls of his would do to her.

But… if she said yes. Oh, if she said yes, he wouldn't have to worry… but what were the chances of _her_ saying yes to _him_? He'd been trying to get her to fall for him for two years now and still, nothing.

It was the end of the school day now and Sasuke was on his way to kendo practice, as co-captain he was expected to be there early, along with the captain Hyuuga Neji, though as the coach's favorite he usually was exempt from punishment on days when he failed to do so, like today.

When he arrived in the A-building's dojo he immediately began his exercises, he and Neji then began to further instruct the team, who were finishing up with their warm-ups as well. Though Kisame was an extremely tough coach, he often let the two take charge, as he believed the show of leadership would inspire more fighting spirit within their teammates, most of which he referred to as slackers.

As Sasuke began sparring with Neji, which was a rare occurrence, since the captain was expected to divide his time equally amongst his teammates, he heard a blood-curdling shriek. "_Sassuuukkkkeee-SAMAAA!_" _wonderful_, he thought. "Hyuuga-kun!" another yelled, he noted the slight twitch of an eyebrow on his captain's face and smirked.

Hyuuga Neji was no more welcoming of the fanatic and slightly obsessive attention that was showered upon him than Sasuke. As student-body president, valedictorian of the senior class, captain of the school's nationally ranked kendo team, and recently-deemed heir to the vast Hyuuga fortune, Hyuuga Neji was the most sought-after boy in school, and the _only_ one Uchiha Sasuke came in second to. At least until he garduated at the end of the year that is.

Unfortunately for the entirety of the school's female population, he was taken, and his girlfriend was a feisty one. The younger girl wouldn't stand for any clinging, though she secretly preened at the envious glares she received and the looks of longing those responsible shot toward the boy she so ruthlessly held in her clutches.

The two heart-snatching teenagers continued with their spar. Sasuke mentioned nothing of his captain's incessantly twitching eyebrow, and did his best not to crack a smile at the ridiculous pet-names being thrown his way. He made it a habit not to tease Hyuuga Neji. In fact, he spent the majority of his time in the club proactively pursuing a friendship with the boy. This was not considered customary behavior for the young Uchiha, and Neji took note of this.

He just couldn't figure out what the boy would have to gain by becoming his friend. It baffled him for a long while. Sasuke was skilled enough with his shinai, very skilled in fact, Neji was sure one day soon he'd surpass him. And, besides, he was already co-captain, so he couldn't be trying to jump rankings. The Uchiha's were a very powerful, well respected, and wealthy family on their own, and though their lineage could not be dated as far back as the Hyuuga, they were still formidable. So, increasing high-class social status by association was out too, so was mooching, attention from females, and popularity. Neji almost cracked a smile at that. The youngest Uchiha boy had a fan-base that could rival even his own, he was sure it was actually larger than his. He had his own money, his own, very popular, friends, and his own strength. So… what could the boy be after? Did he really want to just be friends?

Neji wasn't ready to believe that. He came from a family of scheming serpents and he wasn't ready to trust anyone just yet. His family, and the entire world he came from taught him to always be on guard. Uchiha came from this same world, so he was even more wary.

But… as time went on he found the boy growing on him. Most people thought Neji to be some heartless iceman, looking down on all around him; the truth is, he was actually a big softie. At least… according to Hinata and his girlfriend he was. That ice-like demeanor surrounding Hyuuga Neji was just for show.

Whether Neji believed that or not, he was becoming aware of his waning offensive forces when it came to his co-captain. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand to see the boy flounder about.

Well, to be fair, he didn't flounder. Uchiha's didn't flounder.

All he really did was offer a few sarcastic remarks here and there, usually referring to their slacker teammates or their ridiculous fan clubs, and maybe even a smirk. But it was obvious that Sasuke was putting much more effort into interacting with Neji on a more personal level than he did with most people. In fact, from what Neji knew. This was the most effort the Uchiha had put into forming a friendship _ever_.

On that note, Neji decided to rest a bit easier, and let the chips fall where they may. His girlfriend would be proud of him, he thought. After all, it was her influence that led to this sort of laid back thinking in the first place.

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When Naruto burst into the Home Economics classroom there was only one person sitting at a desk on the far side of the room, by the window. A low lamp light lit her lap since the sun was setting and her work required a great deal of detail, effort, and concentration.

She looked up when she heard the door smack against the hollow wall., her bangs somewhat framing the side of her face. He was breathing hard, and Kiba could be seen standing behind him, looking off down the hallway, along with another figure she couldn't yet identify. "Naruto?" she asked.

"Ino!" he hollered, "Boy! Am I glad to see you!" he beamed in casual relief.

She quirked an eyebrow at that, "What do you want?"

At that moment he clamored forward, Kiba, and who she could now confirm as Shikamaru, in tow. "We need some help, and you're the only one we can think of for the job."

At this Kiba scoffed and it looked as if Shikamaru wanted to roll his eyes, but was struck by some reasoning that he found to validate Naruto's words.

Now, that was interesting.

"Flattery will get you nowhere Naruto, spit it out."

"It's about Sasuke!" he stated. Or rather, thought he was stating but in actuality it came out more like a booming declaration, as did all of his thoughts.

"Sasuke?" the girl asked. Now this was confusing. Ino hadn't paid any mind to Sasuke in years. Sure, they met at social gatherings to which their mutual friends attended, but that was it. She didn't have anything against the Uchiha boy, he was her childhood crush after all, but she didn't understand how she could be of any assistance with something concerning Sasuke.

Naruto just grunted in agreement and nodded his head in a very quick movement that Ino thought should have snapped his neck. Interesting.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"Well, see it's not totally about Sasuke… it's about Hinata too!" he stated his left hand moving forward as if to prompt her to respond.

"Hinata?"

"Yeah!" he said, both of his hands swishing to the top of his head. He almost knocked Kiba in the nose, Ino noted, luckily dog-boy took a step back. Naruto's hands were moving in a whirlwind motion now, as he continued to explain the situation as best he could. "Ya see, Sasuke, well, Sasuke sort of needs your help, all of our help really, he needs to get Hinata to notice him. And not just like say 'hi' notice him, but really really notice him. Like give him the time of day and really look and talk to him notice him. And-"

This was getting confusing. Why would Sasuke need Hinata to notice him? Unless… Suddenly a bright grin broke out across Ino's face. Naruto continued trying to explain, struggling over his words and faltering a bit over the best way to put it. He wasn't sure how Ino would take Sasuke's feeling for Hinata. Sure, he knew she was over him by now, but Sasuke didn't exactly have a reputation for being the nicest guy around. And, well, Hinata did. The nicest girl around that is. Besides Ino had become quite protective over the sweet Hyuuga in recent years. As Naruto continued to contemplate this, he continued trying to get it all out, the right way. He was still spewing off nonsense and waving his arms back and forth when he looked up and saw that Ino was beaming.

He stopped his incoherent babble then.

Ino laughed softly. "Well isn't this unexpected? The great Uchiha Sasuke has a crush on our darling little Hyuuga Hinata."

Naruto didn't know what to say to that. For some reason, he felt that Ino was now much more involved in this than he ever thought she'd be. But, then again, he should have known better. This was Ino after all.

She smiled again, this time it was more of a Cheshire grin, and her eyes glinted deviously. He gulped.

"Now, Ino," Shikamaru cut in, "We didn't come to you so that you could throw things out of proportion and torture the poor boy," he stated calmly.

"Oh, please Shikamaru, I know my boundaries!" she sassed. "I'm not fourteen years old anymore; I can control myself!"

"Let's hope so," he grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" she quipped.

"Nothing," he muttered a little more clearly.

?

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Neji lay beside his girl, contentedly breathing in her scent. She lay half on top of him, their legs knotted together on the sofa, her loose hair fanned across his right shoulder and arm. His eyes wandered the ceiling of the family room in his wing of the very large and traditional Hyuuga Estate. He felt her small, slender fingers pick at his cotton T-shirt as he allowed the warmth of her body and the lamp light to lull him to sleep.

"Neji?" her womanly voice called.

"Hm?" he asked with his eyes still mostly closed. He waited a moment for her response.

"Hinata has grown a lot don't you think?"

Confusion started to jumble his peaceful state of mind and his eyes crept open further. "What?"

"I'm just saying," her fingers continued their gentle caressing of his torso, now getting gentler and more persuading in their perusal. He could tell she was trying to seduce a satisfactory response from him. He also knew that the truth of the question was not simply asking him to acknowledge his cousin's maturity. "She has come a long way since the shy girl we used to know. She's becoming a woman."

Fully awake now, Neji lifted himself up slightly and rested his weight on his elbow, allowing his beautiful girlfriend to slide onto the cushion below him. "Where is this going?"

Her pretty eyes sparkled up at him, her lashes framing that imploring look she gave him, the one that pulled his guts out and served them to her on a silver platter. "Don't you think it's time she started exposing herself to more social settings? You know aside from just the literary magazine and the hikes in the park she goes on with her friends looking for bugs?"

"I think she has come a long way, enough to know how to get herself into whatever situation she wishes to be in-"

"Neji-"

"-and she doesn't need you, nor I, telling her what to do or who to hang out with."

The sounds of the coming night were all that could be heard in the room as they lie there. The crickets beginning their song in the gardens outside, the wind blowing in the cooler night air, even the distant humdrum of servants scuttling about to prepare a late dinner for the returning master.

"I'm sorry," her eyes weren't beaming now, they were darker with her heavy conscience. She should have known better. Hinata's well-being was always a touchy subject for him, especially after... after the incident. She knew how painstakingly Neji shouldered the blame, too much of it really, and the burden often caused him to lash out at any change in continuity. In the safety of stasis.

Neji's tense muscles relaxed slightly, and he forced his temper to calm and his eyes to soften on his companion. "It's alright, I don't mean to make it hard for you to talk to me, I just..."

"I know." He looked down at her and she smiled at him, a little of that light back in her eyes. "Say my name. You never say my name when you are mad at me, and it's been missing this whole time."

His gaze truly melted then, and the heat in his heart and at the backs of his eyes made him relent. He never wanted to deny her anything, and he hated that he had brought rise to her long buried insecurity. He settled in on the couch again bringing her in close. Their eyes met and his voice was soft.

"Ino."

They were once again happy and resting. He was about to pass into his long awaited slumber when he heard her voice again.

"What do you think of Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Ugh," he mentally rolled his eyes so she could not see. He just knew this was going to be a long night.

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Sorry to Saph-fire, I know I'm years late. Literally. I'm not overly happy with it, but it was a relief to get it out there. Thanks for all your support! I love all you readers and reviewers! Tell me what you thought of my Hinata and everyone else too! Please stop by Alabaster Shinwit! We are working very hard to get the site up and running in the next few weeks and it would be a huge help to get some feed back from you guys on how it's going, what's working and what isn't. Thanks!


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